Usage Guide for HALCON Samples

Using the HALCON samples provided by Mech-Mind, you can complete procedures including camera connection, data acquisition, and hand-eye calibration.

Sample Introduction

Mech-Mind provides the following HALCON samples:

connect_to_camera_and_capture_images: Connect to the camera, adjust parameters, and acquire the 2D image and point cloud.
configure_camera_ip_address: Obtain and modify the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway settings of the camera.
obtain_depth_map: Obtain the depth map, which is a 2D image that contains only the Z values of the points. Intended for reducing cycle time.
obtain_textured_point_cloud: Obtain 3D data and the 2D image used for texturing the point cloud, and then construct the textured point cloud.
hand_eye_calibration: Perform hand-eye calibration. Contains two samples, determine_calibration_poses and perform_hand_eye_calibration.
obtain_point_cloud_with_normals: Obtain the point cloud with normals.

Obtain Samples

HALCON samples are included in the installation path of Mech-Eye SDK or can be obtained from GitHub by cloning. The samples in the installation path are the version at the time of Mech-Eye SDK release. The version on GitHub may contain the latest changes.

The samples in the installation path are located in xxx/Mech-Eye SDK-2.3.2/API/samples/halcon/area_scan_3d_camera.
The samples cloned from GitHub are located in xxx/mecheye_halcon_samples/area_scan_3d_camera.

Prerequisites

Before using the HALCON samples, please check if the following prerequisites are satisfied:

The camera and computer are connected correctly.

For Nano (V3) and PRO XS (V3), it is recommended to connect the camera directly to the computer without using a network switch.
HALCON 20.11 or above has been installed on computer.

HALCON versions below 20.11 are not fully tested.
The camera firmware version is 2.0.0 or above.

If you need to upgrade the camera firmware, please install or upgrade Mech-Eye SDK first. Then, open Mech-Eye Viewer and click the Upgrade button.
Make sure that the following IP addresses are in the same subnet and are unique:
- The IP address of the camera
- The IP address of the IPC Ethernet port connected to the camera
  
  For the methods of setting the IP addresses, refer to Use Mech-Eye Viewer to Set the Camera IP Address and Set IP Address on Computer.

Sample Usage Guide

The following topics provide the guide for using each sample on Windows:

connect_to_camera_and_capture_images: Connect to Camera, Adjust Parameters, and Acquire Data
configure_camera_ip_address: Obtain and Modify IP Configuration
obtain_depth_map: Obtain Depth Map
obtain_textured_point_cloud: Obtain Textured Point Cloud
hand_eye_calibration: Hand-Eye Calibration
obtain_point_cloud_with_normals: Obtain Point Cloud with Normals

When using HALCON, if you encounter issues such as not being able to connect to the camera, you can refer to Troubleshooting for corresponding solutions.
If you encounter an issue not covered by the above topic, please visit Mech-Mind Online Community to get help (account registration and sign-in required).